Name _______________
Date ________________
LA
Period _______________
Direct and Indirect Objects
A direct object is the receiver of action within a sentence, as in "He hit
the ball." The direct object answers the question, “Hit what?” Be careful to
distinguish between a direct object and an object complement:

They named their daughter Natasha. – The direct object
answers the question, “Named whom?”
In that sentence, "daughter" is the direct object and "Natasha" is the
object complement, which renames or describes the direct object.
The indirect object identifies to or for whom or what the action of the
verb is performed. The direct object and indirect object are different
people or places or things. The direct objects in the sentences below are in
boldface; the indirect objects are in italics.

The instructor gave his students A's. – The indirect object
answers the question, “Gave the A’s to whom?”

Grandfather left Rosalita and Raoul all his money. - The indirect
object answers the question, “Gave all his money to whom?”

Jo-Bob sold me her boat. - The indirect object answers the
question, “Sold the boat to whom?”